Mortal Immortals
by Goddes-of-Moon
Summary: When Hera, the evil stepmother of the twins; Artemis and Apollo, banished them to Earth, the twins will have to live life as mortals.. Until they learn their lesson.
1. The Sentence

_**Chapter 1 – The Sentence**_

"Oh, come on, Artemis!" Apollo, my twin brother, urged. "It would be fun! I promise."

"No," I insisted. "We'll definitely get into trouble."

"We won't."

"Apollo, you're the elder one. You're supposed to be the more matured one! Be a little responsible, will you?" Apollo rolled his eyes. I stared at him. "No! And that's final!" I crossed my arms.

We stood there, glaring fiercely at each other, till Apollo said, "Oh, come on. We could just–"

"Drop it, Apollo." I said sternly, flipping my dark hair out of my face when the light autumn breeze blew through the window.

"Fine. I'll do this myself." Apollo left my room and slammed the heavy doors shut.

No, he wouldn't get himself into trouble like that, I think. Would he? Just because I didn't agree to spoil a Cocktail Party organized by our evil stepmother Hera, doesn't mean he could get himself into trouble like that! I have to stop him. Fast.

I ran after Apollo and grabbed his shoulders. "You don't know what you're doing, Apollo! Snap out of it. You'll be banished to the Earth if she finds out."

"That is–if–she finds out." Apollo amended smugly. "Come on, Sis. She has been awful to us ever since the day we were born. Don't you think we deserve some kind of revenge?"

That's true. Hera has been trying to find ways to make our lives miserable. She was horrible to us and she even killed our mother. "But—"

"No buts. We should just do this once and feel good about it. I know you want to. Let's go!" Apollo grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the dining hall, where the Cocktail Party would be held at.

The dining hall was already decorated nicely. The plates and cups stacked neatly, food arranged in bowls accordingly, chairs pushed in under tables. Candles were set up everywhere around the room, making everything looked warm and cozy.

"Artemis, you go pour out all the food onto the white tablecloth to make it dirty. I'll throw the plates around." Apollo instructed. "Just make this room as dirty and unorganized as possible, alright?"

I nodded hesitantly, thinking of the consequences of our actions.

After we're done trashing the room, we blew out all the candles and hid in my room. The Cocktail Party didn't start at all, but the silent, peaceful night was pierced by Hera's violent scream. She stormed into my room and grabbed the collar of my dress.

"What have you done now, Artemis?" Hera's high-pitched voice screamed. "I have put up with you long enough. This was the last straw, you ungrateful daughter!" She threw me to the ground. "You are now officially banished to the Earth!" She boomed.

"Artemis has nothing to do with your little Cocktail Party. It was my fault. She didn't do anything. The person you should banish is not her. It's me." Apollo spoke up in my defense.

"What did you say? You think my Cocktail Party is _little_?" Hera demanded. Apollo nodded, making her as furious as ever. "Oh, fine, then. Both of you are banished to the Earth." She said it as though banishing people to the Earth was a common thing for her.

"Hera," A deep voice sounded from behind Hera. "What is going on?"

"Father." I acknowledged. "She's banishing us. To Earth." I pointed at Hera with a disgusted expression.

"Zeus, it's not like that. I have a reason." Hera widened and batted her eyes in a failed attempt at innocence.

"And the reason is…?" Zeus asked, making his way towards Hera.

Hera fake-sobbed and placed her head on Zeus's shoulder. Zeus's hand shot up to caress Hera's cheek to wipe away tears that were never there. Hera explained everything in between fake sobs and added some awful lies about things that we had never done and always said good things about herself. How she tried to be fair in her judgment and never suspected us at all – until we shouted at her, which was so untrue.

"Alright, Hera. Thank you for telling me." Zeus handed a tissue to Hera and turned his attention to Apollo and me. "Now, as your punishment –"

"But, all she said were lies!" I protested.

"Well, Artemis, did she lie about _everything_?"

Yes. But, of course I didn't say that. I just kept my mouth shut. You don't ever want to get Zeus mad at you. It'll be _hell_.

"I'm sending you both to the Earth to reflect on your bad behavior. It was wrong of you to break your mother's heart. You will no longer be able to live like an Immortal, until you learn your lesson. " Silence.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, everything went black. I was falling, and falling, and falling. Everywhere around me was darkness and I couldn't see anything. I might be falling through the universe. I wanted to scream and say something to make everything that's happening a little bit real. But, nothing was sounded. My voice box was locked away.

I landed with a heavy thud on the ground. Knowing it wouldn't hurt because of Immortality made me feel a little better. But, I was wrong. The fall made my right arm hurt. Every muscle in my body was rigid and I felt … vulnerable. I couldn't move a finger. Water clouded my already blackened vision. Tears? Actual tears?

So, this was how it felt to hurt. This was how it felt to be a Mortal.

***


	2. The Family

_**Chapter 2 – The family**_

I was woken up by an unfamiliar sound. Like an annoying ringing in my ears. I turned and opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the soft light coming from the window. The curtains were flapping noisily on each side. Then, I saw what had made that irritating sound. A clock. A round faced, two handed clock. The one I only saw in the mortal books Hermes always read.

I remembered how to stop it. Press the button at the top, and it finally stopped ringing. I rolled over and stood up – with great difficulty due to a painful bruise on my knee – and went over to the mirror. Wait, a bruise? I looked down at my knees. And there it is. A red, bloody, gruesome bruise. I stifled a scream using my hand and breathed in slowly.

Then, I stepped towards the mirror and braced myself, expecting to see great changes in my body. But, no. I looked the same. The same dark hair and dark eyes and the same lean posture stared back at me. Only, there's that disgusting bruise and a bandage on my arm, from what, I don't know.

Soft knocks interrupted my mirror-gazing. I turned towards the door and tried to use the Immortality Powers to open the door, but I was too weak that I failed miserably. I forgot I'm now a Mortal.

A lady, with very silky blonde hair popped into the room. She made her way towards me and stared awestruck at my face. Do I have something on my face? "You're so beautiful; you're almost like a goddess." Yes, I am.

I squinted at her and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Selene George. My husband, Lewis George, found you outside our doorstep. Alone and bleeding all over. We had to take you in. We took care of your wounds. Do you remember anything that happened?"

Of course I did. But I'm not going to tell her anything about it. So, I just shook my head.

"Do you even remember your name?"

Yes. "No, I don't."

"Do you want me to give you a name I've wanted to give someone?"

Without thinking, I said, "Sure."

"How does Nadine sounds? Nadine George."

Not too bad. Nadine… I could live with that.

"That's nice." I grinned. That made Selene smile proudly at herself and she continued to admire me. I blushed.

"Oh, are you hungry? There's food downstairs. Would you want to come downstairs and have breakfast with me and your dad?" Dad? As in a father? But, my father is Zeus. The God of all Gods. But I nodded anyway. I don't want to disappoint this nice lady. "Okay!" She beamed. "There are fresh clothes in the cupboard. There's not much to choose from, if you don't mind."

"Alright, thank you. I'll be down in a second."

Selene closed the door softly behind her, leaving me alone to change. I looked down at my clothes. I was still wearing that white 'dress'. I know this is not acceptable in a place like Earth. They usually wear … shirts and pants. Hermes was completely obsessed with Mortals that he couldn't stop talking about them.

I went over to the cupboard and took out the only one set of clothes and put them on. Not bad.

The room that I'm staying in was one the second floor so I only needed go down one flight of stairs to reach the living room and dining area. Before I went down, I heard noises from downstairs.

"But, we can't just send her to an orphanage. It's wrong." A voice that sounds like Selene said.

"I know, honey, but we can't just adopt her like that. We don't even know who she really is." A male voice protested.

"It doesn't matter. I can take care of her even if you don't want to."

"Honey, I know how you feel. After Nadine died, you've always wanted another daughter. But, nobody can replace her. Not someone that we don't even know."

"I'm not trying to replace her. I want something to remember her by."

"And you give _her_ the name Nadine – to remember _our_ Nadine?"

Selene was silent for a while before she said, "There's something about her, Lewis. There's something special about her that I want to make her close to me. Not just because of how perfect she is, but… I don't know. She's really the opposite of Nadine. You can't deny that." There was a pause. "Let's give it a try. Let me be a mother once again – a better mother than ever. Please, Lewis, please."

"Alright. If this is what you want. I'll be here for you, honey, whatever your decision."

I wiped water that has unknowingly flowed out of my eyes with the back of my hand. Tears? I still couldn't believe the water that always flows out of Mortal's eyes when they're sad. I went down the stairs, wishing I hadn't just appeared out of nowhere to create trouble for these nice people.

"Nadine, what would you like for breakfast? Cereal? Pancake? Just choose whatever you want, dear." Selene smiled kindly.

I have no idea what 'pancakes' are so I chose cereal because we have cereal in Mount Olympus. I accepted the simple bowl and sat on the small, circular dining table in the kitchen. A wise-looking man who I assume to be Mr George, joined us.

"So, _Nadine_," he said the name forcefully, "How are you feeling?" He inquired my injuries.

I had felt the awful pain under the bandages before this but it got better. "I'm fine." I gave him a weak smile and continued eating the cereal.

"So, we were thinking. How about we adopt you?"

"Adopt?" I acted surprised, even though I know what they were talking about.

"Oh, you know… We'll take care of you like any other parent would. I'm sure you'll be very happy here." He took a bite out of his pancake.

"Here? Where's 'here'?" I inquired, clueless.

"New York. You're in New York." He answered incredulously, like it should be obvious. But, it wasn't. It definitely wasn't. "So, what do you say? It's either we adopt you or you go to the orphanage. Which would you prefer?"

My eyes darted from one mortal to another. The pleading eyes of Selene George, her eyebrows creased together, hoping for me to stay. Then, the impatient Lewis George, whose eyes has grown darker and darker every second. I took a minute to think about it. Would I want to stay with these mortals I barely know? They can do anything to me because I'm defenseless. Or do I want to stay with the other orphans, who have no family. Family… My real Father and Stepmother didn't really care about me. They didn't think of me as family. I want a loving family. But would it be worth it?

"I prefer to stay here with the both of you, if you don't mind." I suspiciously glanced at Mr George, who I was glad was smiling happily. Mrs George was also smiling, but with much enthusiasm.

"Great!" She exclaimed. "Okay, now we need to discuss about your education."

"Education?" I don't want to go to school all over again. I had finished school and had graduated Mount Olympus School with flying colors already.

"Yes. You look about Nadine's age." She mumbled, but I heard her perfectly well. Are my Powers back? Then, she said, "You look about 16 years old. We can send her to the nearby school. What do you think, Lewis?" She had turned towards Mr George.

Mr George was staring out the window and looked completely distracted. "Honey," Selene touched her husband's arm softly. He snapped his head back towards her so suddenly and asked, "What did you say?"

"I asked if it is okay if we send her to the nearby high school, Lewis."

"Oh, yes. That would be fine."

"We'll enroll her tomorrow." Selene smiled sweetly at me. She looks so happy like a little child getting a lollipop. "But for now, we'll go shopping."

***


	3. The Shopping Trip

_**Chapter 3: The Shopping Trip**_

I was sitting at the back of Mrs George's car (an invention by the Mortals that should be placed on Mount Olympus too) and she was talking animatedly about how perfect the Shopping Mall was with those things she called shops. I don't have the least bit idea of what she meant but nodded anyway.

And then she stopped the car with a jerk that made me thanked the belt-thing that is securely tied to the comfy leather seat. "Here we are!" Mrs George exclaimed cheerfully.

"Mrs George, why are we here again?" I politely asked.

"Did you just call me _Mrs George_?" I nodded, embarrassed. "Just call me 'Mom' or 'Mother'. We're family now." She winked. "And I told you we're here to find appropriate clothes for you. You can't expect to wear those clothes every single day, right?" She parked the car and got out of the car. I followed closely behind her.

"Okay, _Mom_." I grinned sheepishly at her. How quick is she to regard me as family after only meeting me for less than a day. And, I have to admit that it was nice to be accepted so warmly like that. So, I promised myself that I would be very nice to her from this day on.

I looked up at the humungous building. It was made of glass and everything was reflecting the bright sunlight. I wondered who was doing Apollo's job of pulling the chariot over the Earth since he was banished. I wondered where he was and how he is doing.

---

"Let's go, Felix." Felix… I had to get used to that name. The name Felix Quinn was making me feel weird. I thought Apollo was a nicer name. I nodded at my newly adoptive Father, Mr Alfred Quinn. He was taking me to the Shopping Mall to get some clothes. I was currently wearing the clothes that belonged to him. It was rather big, so he decided to choose clothes that would actually fit me.

"Dad, are you sure about this?" I asked suspiciously as I pointed to the thing Mr Quinn was getting into.

"What? The car? Oh, it's fine. It's a hybrid. Get in." I pulled the car door open and slipped in. The seat was leather and it smelt new. "Buckle up." Mr Quinn pointed to the belt thing. With great difficulty, I buckled myself up. Then, the car moved (actually moved!), without anybody pushing it from behind.

A few turns and stops later, we arrived at the Shopping Mall. I had no idea what that place was but I'm curious to find out. I got out of the car and saw how the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Who's doing my job? I frowned. Then, I saw the most amazing thing.

There was a beautiful girl standing beside a car and looking up at the sky. Her dark hair flowing down her back due to the light wind and her dark eyes reminded me of someone. Someone…

Artemis!

She was getting into the building. With a blonde woman in front of her, guiding her. I had to talk to her. I bet she wouldn't forgive me after how I put her into trouble and that hateful Hera banished us to the Earth. But I needed to take the risk. I missed my sister.

"Come on." I made my way inside the building, with Mr Quinn tailing behind me. I was still trying to find Artemis but the building was so crowded with people that it was hard to move or see.

"Hold up, young man. Here!" My dad gave me a piece of rectangular plastic and it was painted gold. "This is a credit card. You can use this to buy anything you want. But, don't buy too much things. After you choose whatever you want, pay for it using this card. Don't overspend. Remember, don't overspend." The man walked away.

"Then, where are you going?"

"To the bathroom." He replied incredulously. "Meet me here in an hour." Then, he was off.

An hour, right. I can do that. Just grab a bunch of things, pay for it, and then come back here.

Where's Artemis, anyway?

The telepathic Power that only Artemis and I have! I gathered my energy, closed my eyes and concentrated with my mind, _Artemis. Artemis. Where are you? _Silence. I tried again. _Artemis! _Another silence. Then, I shouted in my head _ARTEMIS!_

---

At first, it was just a faint sound in my head. Then, it got louder and now it was so loud that I stopped. Someone was calling my name. The voice sounds like Apollo. I answered, _Apollo!_

_Artemis, I'm at the entrance of the building. Can you come? Tell the woman you're going to the bathroom._

_You're here right now? How?_

_Just come! Please!_

"Nadine," Mom asked, concerned. "What's wrong with you?"

I shook my head. "I need the bathroom."

"Okay, we'll go now."

"It's okay!" I almost shouted. "I can go on my own. I can shop on my own too."

"Alright, honey. I'll wait for you at the car after you're done –" I had already bolted before she even finished her sentence.

***


	4. The Shopping Trip Part II

_**Chapter 4: The Shopping Trip Part II**_

I pushed past the crowd and finally reached the mall's entrance. The guy looking back at me looked so much different from me, even though we're twins. He had the most golden eyes and golden hair like the sun while I had dark eyes and dark hair like the moon.

"Artemis!" His eyes lit up into a brighter gold as he gave me a bear hug. I returned it. "I was so worried about you! Forgive me. Forgive me, little sister, for getting you banished. I'm sorry." He pulled away.

"It's not your fault. The only thing to do now is to be happy even when you're not. _They'll _know how happy we are and will quickly want us to come back."

"That's right." He ruffle up my hair and said, "Can you do me a favor?"

"What favor?"

"Help me with my shopping." He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, why not? I'm in need of some shopping too." I held out the thing called the Credit Card and waved it in front of him. Mom gave it to me before going off. Apollo held his and waved too.

We made our way through shops and clothes. I picked some grey vests that matched the short dresses and some black leggings. T-shirts with slogans such as: '_WE ARE THE FUTURE!'_ and '_WHAT DID YOU SAY?_' were sold at discounted prices so I grabbed them too. Skinny jeans were displayed at certain shops and I tried it on in Changing Rooms. I paid them all using the plastic cards and carried shopping bags after shopping bags of clothes.

Then, Apollo wanted to buy shoes so I followed him to a unisex shoe shop. I saw this really cute black ballet flats and bought them after trying it on. I added that shopping bag to the collection of shopping bags. I wanted to buy another different one but the cashier said, "I'm sorry, miss. The card cannot be used. I'm afraid it is already maxed out." _What does that even mean? _I frowned.

We left after that. "So, Nadine. Thanks for helping me shop." I noticed Apollo only have a few shopping bags with him while I have a more than 10 with me.

I laughed. "You're welcome, Felix."

"Call me if you're in danger." He pointed to his head. I knew what he meant. I nodded. I turned and went to Mom's car.

"There you are, Nadine! I've been waiting for quite a long time." Mom went out of the car and held out her hands for the bags. "What did you buy?" She asked.

"Oh, clothes." I smiled.

"Get in. I need to prepare lunch." She stuffed the shopping bags into the hood and slammed it shut. I opened the car door and scrambled in. "So, where's my card? You haven't maxed it out, or anything, right?" She said jokingly as she pulled out to the road.

"Actually, I did. What does it mean?"

Mom stopped the car suddenly and turned around to face me. "You maxed out my card?" She bellowed. I have never seen her so angry before. She breathed in a deep breath to calm herself down. She silenced herself and drove again. She drove with that sickening silence that I didn't dare to say anything else. Then, I got an idea. I needed to try my Powers out anyway, since I'm already so energized.

I forced myself into her thoughts.

'_She didn't mean it. She wouldn't know. She might have forgotten how Credit Cards worked because she can't even remember her name. Trust her. She's your daughter. Forgive her...'_

I pulled myself out of her mind. She shook her head as though she had a headache.

How can she trust me so easily like that? She doesn't even know me. Why?

"Nadine, why did you do that?"

Did she know I searched through her thoughts? "I can explain!"

"No need to explain. I understand perfectly well." She did? "I know that it was wrong of me to get mad at someone who doesn't even know what a credit card is. I'm sorry."

Okay. Wow. "It's not your fault."

She waved the sentence away while grabbing the steering wheel with her free hand. We finally reached the house. She got out of the car and helped me carry the shopping bags. "What would you like for lunch?" she asked as we stepped into the house. "I thought of chicken. What do you think?"

"Chicken's fine." I said and made my way to _my_ room. I put all the bags down and gazed out the window. It's a beautiful day and the sun was so bright. Who _is_ doing Apollo's job? I guess I'm never getting an answer.

I took out the clothes from the shopping bags and hanged them all in the closet. It was full already.


	5. The First Day of School

_**Chapter 5 – The First Day of School**_

I looked outside the car window and stared at Red Bridge High School, where I'm going to be studying in the meantime till I get to go back to Mount Olympus. It has already been week since I was banished to Earth and now I'm getting closer to my Mortal parents than ever.

"Have fun on your first day of school!" Mom shouted as I got out of the car. I waved and she drove away. I swung my messenger bag onto one shoulder.

I turned to walk down the pathway towards the school entrance but saw everyone staring at me. I flicked my fringe out of my eyes and adjusted the sleeve of my off-shoulder blouse.

"Hey, Nadine!" I heard a familiar voice called out from behind me. "Walk with me?"

"Sure, Felix." I smiled. "Did you notice everyone looking at us?" I asked as we strolled into the school.

Felix stared ahead and said, "Yes." He looked absolutely comfortable with the positive attention we're getting. I could tell that he loves it. Well, of course everyone was mesmerized with his flawless skin, golden hair and those captivating gold eyes.

The first thing I heard when we entered the school was the slam of lockers, then, the girls' gossips and the sound of sneakers and heels. We went to the Administration Office. The nice lady there gave each of us our individual timetables, the school map and a locker key.

I got the no. 274 locker and Felix received the one right next to mine. I unlocked the locker. All my books were arranged neatly in the appropriate compartments. I took out the timetable from the file and looked over the subjects.

_Period 1 – Home Room_

_Period 2 – Literature_

_Period 3 – Mathematics_

_Period 4 – Science_

_Period 5 – Break_

_Period 6 – World History_

_Period 7 – 3rd Language (French or Roman Greek)_

_Period 8 – Arts (Calligraphy or Music or Dance)_

_Period 9 – Lunch Break_

_Period 10 – After School Club_

I took the timetable, the map, and a pen from the side of the locker and slammed it shut.

"I heard there would be a new girl in our class." A high-pitched, girly voice shrieked. "I think it's her!" I turned and saw two petite girls in matching mini skirts and white sweater over a blue shirt. One had straight brown hair and the other had perfect blonde curls.

"What? Do you have a problem with that?" I demanded fiercely.

"No…" The brunette muttered timidly. "I'm Bonnie." She pointed at the blonde and told me, "She's Janice."

Janice stepped forward. "You must be that stupid to not know that you shouldn't mess with us. If you make us mad – or scared," she glanced at Bonnie, "dozens of guys would come running after you, because we rule Red Bridge High." She flicked her hair over her shoulder and lifted her chin higher.

Felix cleared his throat and tilted his head defiantly. They didn't seem to notice him standing there because they jumped at the sound of his voice. The girls widened their eyes and smiled innocently. Like all the other girls, they are seriously, _seriously_ mesmerized by his handsome face. He calmly said, "Scram." The girls' mouths dropped open and their eyes were filled with disappointment. "What are you still waiting for?" They hesitated for a second and finally, Bonnie walked past me and not forgetting to push my shoulder while walking. Janice whispered, "Watch your back," and followed Bonnie into class 2D which was not very far.

_Watch my back? _Confused, I turned to look at my back. There was nothing there. "Felix, is there something on my back?" I asked, clueless. Felix shook his head and shrugged. I wonder what she meant…

Then, a deep voice appeared from behind us. "Don't mind her. She's just jealous." We both turned. A gorgeous guy with messy red hair grinned. "You must be new. I'm Stefan. What's your name?" He was staring right at me and his eyes were this piercing fiery red color that made me blush the same shade of red as his eyes.

"Umm… Umm…" I forgot! What was it? What was my name?

"I'm Felix." Felix said.

Stefan glanced at Felix and he looked like he was just glancing at a small ant. "I wasn't talking to you." He turned back to me and asked again, "What's your name?"

He was making me nervous! What's wrong with me? Did I forget the vow I made? I mentally slapped myself. This guy is like any other guy – a jerk. "I'm Nadine."

"Alright, Stefan. We need to get to class." Felix interrupted my staring. "Go away, Stefan." Felix grabbed my hand and pulled me into class 2D where we will study in for the rest of the time in this school. I didn't retaliate from him but continued to pout until he let go of my hand.

"What's wrong with you?" I demanded, raising my voice.

"I'm protecting you." He said it like it was obvious.

"From what?" I crossed my arms.

"Gosh, Nadine, could you be any stupider? He's a man! Remember your vow?"

"So? I didn't do anything wrong."

Felix sighed. "Remember Orion?" Of course I did. I nodded. "You wouldn't want me to do what I did to Orion to anybody else, right?"

The hatred that I have always kept to myself started pouring out. Hot tears flooded my eyes. "Don't talk to me ever again." I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. With a last glare at him, I turned. Standing at the door was a balding man. He was wearing a suit and was holding a briefcase.

He cleared his throat and said to the class, which were making a lot of noise, "Students, settle down. I have an announcement to make." When everyone was seated at their seats except the two of us, he continued, "There are 2 new students here to join us for the rest of the year. They are Ms Nadine George and Mr Felix Quinn. Please make them feel welcomed." He smiled at the both of us. "You both can sit anywhere you want."

We nodded. I wanted to sit as far as possible from my brother so I sat near the windows as Felix sat at the wall right across the room. Why did he have to mention Orion? I hated him for doing what he did to Orion. Why? _Why?_


	6. Janice's Demotion

_**Chapter 6: Janice's Demotion**_

**{A/N: Part of this chapter is contributed by my best friend, Felicia. Credits to her! :D}**

Unknowingly, I ended up sitting behind the **Bitch Duo **(The new name I invented for Janice and Bonnie). Oh, great. Why did I choose this seat of all seats?

"Hey, Nadine." A silky voice and a tap on my shoulder made me turn back. A blue eyed blonde beauty greeted me. "I'm Fiona."

"Hi." I smiled warmly at her.

"Okay, so I was thinking if you would like to join me and my friends for Break later? Since you're new, I can show you around." She searched my eyes with a hopeful expression.

"Gosh, thanks. That's so nice of you but I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"No, it's okay –"

Janice's uninvited voice interrupted, "Fiona, why are you talking to the slut of the century?"

Without thinking, I blurted out, "A slut?!" The whole class turned to stare at my outburst. My cheeks burned red. I lowered my head, hoping they would just go on with their conversation since it was free period.

But, no. They had to smirk. Then, they giggled and everyone started laughing at my embarrassing moment. I sink into my chair, hoping to be invisible.

Someone banged a table from the other side of the classroom. Everyone, including me, peeked at the sound. Everything went quiet when Felix glared fiercely at the whole class. His golden eyes met Janice's green ones. She sat up straighter, flipped her perfect curls seductively and started batting her lashes. Felix walked across the classroom, with all his attention on Janice. She looked more and more hopeful as the seconds passed.

The girls in the class shot envious glances at Janice and she basked in that glory. The guys stared jealously at Felix. I eyed him suspiciously. He finally reached Janice. He bent lower to reach eye contact and moved closer to Janice till their noses touched. Everything went totally silent—like pin drop silence. They were so near; they looked like they were kissing.

And then, Felix mumbled, "Ugly bitch, don't badmouth people like that. Your mouth will stink."

Without waiting for any reply, he calmly walked off and out of the classroom. Mr Andrews, the Homeroom teacher, finally reacted and said after Felix, "Mr Quinn, if you don't come back now, you're getting a detention!" But, Felix never turned back and Mr Andrews kept calling out "QUINN! QUINN! QUINN!" But to no avail.

*

I didn't turn back. I don't know what detention is but I don't care. I hated girls like that, especially someone like Janice. If she thought I was going to kiss her then, she was so damn wrong. I had to stand up for my sister. Ever since we became Mortals, she turned weak for some reason. Maybe everything changed when you're thrown out of Mount Olympus. She used to be able to kick anyone's butt just by giving others those 'Death Stares' of hers. Now, she can't even resist a Mortal boy's smile! What happened to the little sister I know?

I stumbled onto one of those benches near the bathrooms and leaned my head against the cool wooden surface, my messenger back on the floor. I think I went to sleep after that because the next thing I know, Nadine's silver-flecked dark eyes were staring into mine.

I inched back and demanded, "What?!"

"Oh, you're alive!" She feigned relief and dragged my messenger bag along with her.

"Hey, that's my bag!" I tailed after her. Well, she's fast.

"We have Literature class together, dumbass. You better run faster than that!" She laughed gleefully, and then she was just a single speck of black dot and everyone was blocking my view. _She's talking to me after all?_ I thought to myself.

I lazily made my way to the Literature classroom. Nadine was still holding my bag and she was talking animatedly to her friend Fi… something. I snatched my bag from Nadine and took a seat at the back of the class. She rolled her eyes and whispered something to her friend, who giggled and shot shy glances at me. I smiled my most handsome smile at her and she drowsily collapsed onto a nearby chair. That's the effect I have on people. After all, I_ am_ Apollo.

Nadine took a seat beside her pretty friend I smiled to and then she turned back to pass me a piece of paper. It read:

_Apollo, _

_Sorry for screaming at you. Forgive me?_

_Artemis._

I scribbled an "It's alright" at the back of the paper in messy handwriting and pass it back to her. The teacher arrived and wrote: 'Lesson on Greek Gods and Goddesses' on the whiteboard.

He started droning on and on about a test coming soon and gave us an essay about Zeus. This is going to be easy. He's my father so it'll be easy to write about him. The bell rang and the lessons that followed were a blur.

*

Break came and I was picking at the food on my tray. It was something called Burger and Fries. It was surprisingly _nice_. I sipped at my drink.

"So, you and Felix? What a good couple!" Fiona's friend, Penny Love pointed out.

That made me spit out all the coke in my mouth. It splashed onto the table and caused everyone to put their hand away from it. "I'm sorry. That was disgusting." I started wiping the table with a tissue. "And, no. Me and Felix? We're just like siblings. That's why he's a little protective."

"But, you guys looked so close. Even Janice says so." Sandra Block added, ignoring the spilled drink.

Someone cleared her throat. Janice Taylor and Bonnie Swift stood silently behind my chair. "What is _she_ doing here?" She indicated me. "There are not enough chairs for the both of us."

I was about to stand up to leave when Fiona stopped me and said, "Janice, Bonnie, it's either you both seat on another table, or you sit over there with the losers." She pointed to the Geeks' table.

Janice rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's either Nadine leave, or Bonnie and I leave. Which one would you guys prefer?"

The whole group (Fiona Brown, Penny Love, Priscilla Richwood and Sandra Block) looked at each other and finally said, "You leave."

Janice's expression turned from confused to shock and then rage. "Fine!" She screamed and stormed towards an empty table far from our table. Bonnie glanced desperately at the royal table, but tailed after Janice like a trained dog.

The rest of them continued on with their tasks like nothing happened. Fiona continued eating her fries, Penny continued painting her nails black, Priscilla took out her novel and Sandra started people-watching. Priscilla pushed a lock of brown hair behind her hair and turned to me. "Have you decided on the After-School Activity you want to join?"

"What After-School Activity?"

"You can join Girls' Basketball, Band, Soccer, Tennis, Badminton, or you could check the notice board for other activities." She thought again and said, "We all joined Cheerleading. You should too."

"Cheerleading?" I giggled. "I'm not sure I could wear mini skirts and jump around like that."

Sandra abruptly said, "Sure you can! With legs like those, every guy in the whole school would bow down to you." I looked down at my tanned and toned legs. "And besides, you look light enough to be at the top of the pyramid."

"No, thanks. But I want to join Archery." It has always been my favorite sport. I aim pretty well, too.

"Sorry, honey. The school is too poor to buy bow and arrows. But, you can go to the Community Centers. They have awesome Archery stuffs there. You should go join that. I'll take you there if you want." Fiona offered, and then started on her onion rings. I nodded. She eats well, but she doesn't look fat. Chubby, yes. But fat? No.

I saw Janice giving me death stares. I imagined hot steam coming out from her ears and snake-like figures as her hair, but like I said, it was just my too-creative imagination. Fiona saw what I was staring at and said, "You don't need to care about them. They just want attention. They were trying desperately to get in with our group ever since school started this year. We don't have the heart to tell them to scram like how Felix asked them too. But, when you arrive today, we all discussed this and you seem like a good person, so you're definitely invited into our prestigious group." She smiled and held out her hand. Priscilla, Penny and Sandra did the same and placed it on top of each other's hands. They all look expectantly at me.

"So, you guys just used me to kick out Janice and Bonnie?" I refused to put my hand on top of theirs.

"No, Nadine. It's not like that! If we wanted to use you, we would have just used any random person. But, you're the special one. We waited so long to find a person like you and here she is, on our table. Come on. Do you want to remain friend-less forever?" I looked at each one of their faces. Sandra with her fierce red eyes and hair reminding me of the fire, Penny with her dark eyes, dark hair and dark make-up, Priscilla with her light brown hair, light brown eyes and light red cheeks like a petite fairy and Fiona, with her blonde prettiness and blue eyes that paint a picture of sweetness. They were all attractive, in their own way and they look like nice people. Now, their eyes were filled with expectation. I took a deep breath and place my hand on top of theirs.

Maybe, I have found my place in this world. Maybe, I would be happy here. Maybe, I have a real life I never knew of. Maybe, just maybe.

*


	7. Nature's Cry

_**Chapter 7 – Nature's Cry**_

It has been a whole week since the first day of school and my life has been unexpectedly great. I was looked up to. Everybody wants to be my friend. I don't understand it, but it just happen. Fiona said I was the new Queen of the School after Janice was dethroned, and I don't understand it either. It's funny how the Mortals act and think.

I joined Cheerleading. Archery was out of the list but I would visit the Community Centers soon. I figured I could try something new. Cheerleading looks fun. And it's better that nothing.

Felix joined the School Band. He said there wasn't a lyre there but he would join anyway, because he_ is_ the God of Music. The rumor of us going out was cleared because of his constant flirting. In the week, he has dated (and dumped!) 15 girls! Penny told me that anyone who joined the band didn't become as popular as he did. Felix was currently the most popular guy in the school. He was also the only new guy who hung out with the Jocks.

Meanwhile, Janice and Bonnie were ostracized. They became like loners _way_ bottom of the Social Pyramid. No one talked to them. I feel bad for them and when I tried to help, they brush me away saying they don't need my help. I can tell they blame me for stealing their friends. But technically, they're not even friends. They just pretended to be nice to Janice and Bonnie because they don't want to hurt their feelings.

"Excuse me." I look up from my day-dreaming and smiled warmly at the customer that just arrived at 'Sweet Tooth', the desserts shop that I'm working in to make enough money to buy my own phone. Mom decided to punish me after all for maxing out her card the other day.

The customer pointed at the White Chocolate Chip Muffin. I nodded and grabbed the muffin and placed it on an empty plate. I drop it onto a tray and turned back to the customer. "That would be $3.30." She passed me the money and I thanked her.

I wiped tables and took orders and when my shift was finally over, I sighed and finally rested. The boss, Mr Richards gave me my earnings for the day. I changed back into my oversized tee and leggings and quickly left 'Sweet Tooth'.

I made my way down the deserted road and look up. The night was clear and there wasn't a single star in the sky. The moon didn't appear today, making me feel lonely. I clutched my pink sling bag tighter and walked faster. Something moved behind me and I turned. There was no one there. I shivered and walked again, this time even faster. I heard another rustling in the bushes and turned back again. I sucked in a deep breath and got ready to kick the perverts in their sensitive parts to make them stop following me. But, I gasped, feeling powerless.

Floating above the ground right behind me, wearing a glistening black dress was Hera. Her expression was proud and satisfied, as if she has come up with a devious plan.

I squinted at her and angrily demanded, "What are _you_ doing here? Trying to ruin my life even further?"

She floated nearer to me. There was a dark aura around her. She was an evil, _evil_ woman. "Precisely."

I backed away. There was no use fighting back. I was only a Mortal now. She followed me as I ran away from her.

_There is no use running away, Artemis. _Hera's sickly sweet voice ringed in my mind, repeating and repeating like a broken record. _I will get you no matter what… _I closed my ears, hoping she would stop playing with my mind. It didn't work. In fact, it got worse.

I trip on a stone while running and I came rolling down painfully to the ground. I groan in pain and grab my bruised arm to stop it from bleeding. The throbbing became even worse and the blood oozed out even more. _I told you… _I cried in pain as Hera bent down to look into my eyes. "I can do even more to you if you don't listen to me, Artemis." She clutched both my cheeks using her thumb and index finger. I squirmed under her weight but I was too weak, and she was much, much stronger than I am. "Look at me!" She commanded. I refused to look at her and my eyes darted left and right and definitely away from her.

She flicked her free fingers and the pain on my arm got even worse that it was unbearable. It felt even worse than anything I've ever felt before. I screamed in pain, hoping for someone to look for me. When nobody came for me, I had no choice but to look at her.

"Good." She lifted me up easily and pinned me onto the tree. She used her magic fingers to make the roots of the tree bind me there. I struggled and struggled but what was the use? I'm weak. I'm a Mortal. What can I do? "See? It wasn't so hard, right?" She chuckled meanly.

"What do you want from me?" I spoke in between sobs.

"What do I want? What I want?" She repeated sarcastically and answered her own question, "To destroy you, my darling daughter."

"Destroy? How would you do that?"

"You're asking the stupidest question I have ever heard. I think you can imagine what I'm going to do to you. You don't need to be a genius to know that."

I breathed in deeply and let it go heavily and asked, "Why?"

"Because I hate you!" Her answer was instant and it echoed through the forest. "I hate you; I hate you, I HATE YOU!"

I gasped. I knew she hated me but not to this extent. She hated me simply because Zeus cheated on her and mated with my mother, Leto. She hated me because I took over her rights. She_ was _the Goddess of Childbirth **{A/N: Sorry. I made this part up. Is Hera even the Goddess of Childbirth?}**, until I was born into the world.

"I banished you here to make you miserable. And what did you do?" She jabbed my chest painfully. "You went ahead and have fun like nobody's business. You destroyed my plan, Artemis, and you're going to pay." She put up her hands up high as though checking for rain.

"Nature, You shall go against Your Goddess and listen to me!" The trees swayed violently as though they're refusing to oblige. Hera closed her eyes and commanded, "DESTROY YOUR GODDESS!" I whispered '_No'_ as silent as the wind and with a bang; I was released onto a pile of leaves which cushioned my landing. _'Thank you'_, I said to Nature and she sent me a gush of wind that refreshed my body. I felt stronger and more powerful than ever.

"What's going on?" Hera's face was crunched up and her eyes were fearful.

"Nature, please show Hera where she belongs." I said to the trees. The trees swayed again, but this time, they silently obliged and lifted her up onto the trunk. Within seconds, she was screaming for the tress to put her down. No such luck. The trees continued to dangle her upside down.

"Artemis! Tell this stupid tree to put me down!" She said desperately. I pointed at Hera and at the sky and the great tree swayed even more violently and threw her towards the sky. She was sent flying up towards the empty night sky, until she was just a single speck of dot.

I dropped down to the ground in fatigue and strong hands supported me. I had no time to think because I passed out soon after.

*

**{A/N: I love writing this chapter. I don't know why but it was so fun to write! Please Read & Review! Thanks for supporting this story! :D}**


	8. Love Confession

_**Chapter 8: Love Confession**_

Someone was carrying me. Hands were supporting my back and clutching the back of my knees – bridal-style. But, who was it? I wanted to open my eyes but I just couldn't bring myself to. Maybe I was too tired. I can hear the heavy footsteps of the person carrying me.

I was being placed on the ground gently now. Not on a floor but on sand. I heard the waves and could smell the night air. Finally, I managed to pry my eyes open. Kneeling down beside me under the moonlight was Stefan. His wild red hair was messy. He looked so magnificent and he reminds me of a dragon, a handsome dragon.

He helped me up to my feet and locked eyes with me. "Are you okay?" His fiery red eyes pierced into mine.

I looked away. _Why was he so intense?_ I was breathing heavily. Not because of exhaustion but of his flawlessness. Then, I thought of Hera. My mother…wants to kill me. That fact was as depressing as being banished. But, of course I couldn't tell him that. So, I just leaned on his shoulder and cried my heart out. Everything that I have been experiencing exploded out of me.

Stefan patted my head and continued muttering sweet-nothings in my ear. "It's okay. It's alright. Everything's going to be alright."

I look up and wipe the tears from my eyes. He was so close to me that I'm surprised he couldn't hear my heart beating at super-speed. He had a confused expression on his face, like contemplating whether to tell me what he's thinking or not. Finally, he said, "You know, Nadine… I really like you." My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat.

Without thinking, I kissed him. Stefan seemed shocked at first but he reacted by kissing me back. His tongue clicked in sync with mine. He was caressing my cheek and he had his eyes closed. Everything that I've felt about him came back to me in a rush. The first time I saw him smiling at me. That time he showed me around the school. That time he lent me a hand in handing out fliers for the opening of Sweet Tooth. I can't believe it and I didn't want to admit it. _I have fallen in love with him._

*

Janice Taylor saw everything. She saw Stefan's red hair and that shiny black hair that definitely belongs to Nadine. They were having a full-on make out session. 'Oh, this is juicy gossip! I bet her friend Fiona would love to know about this.' She thought. 'Well, Fiona has feelings for Stefan. Nadine is a boy-stealer!'

Janice took out her iPhone and snapped the picture of the lovebirds. She sent the picture to Fiona and trudged along to Felix's house, an evil plan in her head. She hid in the bushes nearby his house. Outside, Fiona saw Felix talking to Meredith.

"Felix, why?" She cried, tugging at his arm desperately.

Felix heartlessly shook her hand off and said coldly, "I don't like you anymore, so scram." Felix reminded Janice of the first time she saw him.

Meredith, almost in tears, slapped him so hard that his head snapped to the side due to the impact. He turned back to her and glared at her, causing her to cry and run away. Janice was shocked at the way Felix treated the poor girl but shook her way out of her hiding place.

"What are you doing here, slut?" Felix was still fuming. Janice couldn't blame him. Which guy wouldn't be mad if he got slapped by a girl?

She cleared her throat. "I just came to show you Nadine's true colors," She took out her phone and pressed a few buttons and shoved the picture in his face.

First, he looked confused. Then, his expression turned into understanding. And then he was furious. Janice smiled, satisfied. Felix shook his head and said without emotion, "Nadine doesn't have anything to do with me." Janice lifted one eyebrow in doubt. It's obvious that he cared. Janice couldn't deny the fact that she was jealous at the way Felix protected Nadine, like he liked her. But, does he really? Janice wasn't convinced that this was just brother-sister love. "You better get out of here right now."

'It was like a stab through my heart. Why does he dislike me that much?' Janice thought. To cover for her disappointment, she did her normal routine of flicking her hair and rolling her eyes and left her disappointment behind. Perhaps there are other ways to win his attention.

*

I was mad. I was even madder at Artemis than I was at anybody else. How could she – the goddess of chastity – be kissing Stefan? It was wrong!

After sending Janice away, I ran towards Nadine's house, which was not very far, and knocked on the door. Mrs George answered the door.

"Yes?" She studied my face.

"I need to see Nadine, please," I said politely.

Mrs George shouted for Nadine and Nadine came out, closing the door quietly behind her. Her hair was wet and there was a towel over her shoulders. She must have had a shower.

"What is it?" Nadine asked, confused.

I took a deep breath and started, "Can you explain what's going on with you and Stefan?"

She understood my fury and lowered her eyes in guilt. "It's just… I…" She was searching for the right words. I crossed my arms and tapped my feet on the ground, losing my patience. "Okay, look. I like him. God, get a grip."

"You _like_ him?" I asked, incredulous.

She nodded. "Yes, I do. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that you're the goddess of chastity! Remember?"

She looked at the ground and hesitantly said, "Actually," she looked up with sad eyes, "I don't want to be a lonely goddess anymore."

I was shocked. I mean, really shocked. All her life, she hated men. She said men were jerks. And now, because of one _human _boy, she was willing to break her vow.

I shook my head. "You're not my sister. You don't even look like the sister I know." I indicated the mini skirt that she's wearing.

She squint her eyes at me. "Neither do you." She indicated my jeans.

We stood there glaring at each other for quite a long time until Mrs George poked her head out of the door and called for Nadine to get back in for dinner. Without turning back, she stormed into the house. I know what that meant. She was in love with Stefan and will never give him up even if I forced her to.

*

I stormed into the house for dinner. While eating the vegetarian burger, the phone rang. I picked it up and heard a sobbing Fiona.

"How could you do this to me, Nadine?"

"What is it, Fion?"

"You and Stefan? I thought I told you I liked him."

Oh, crap. I forgot! I'm such an awful friend. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry doesn't do anything. I tried so hard to get his attention since sixth grade! And you…the new girl…catch his attention so quickly." Another round of sobs interrupted her.

"Fiona…" I begged.

"Shut up, Nadine. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Janice was right after all. You are a slut."

It was like being kicked in the gut. Only when she was angry at me do I appreciate her friendship. "I'm sorry… But I thought we were friends?"

There was a soft giggle and she continued, "Friends? After all I've done for you, you treat me like this? I hate you, Nadine. Never appear near me ever again!" Then she hung up.

I cried myself to sleep that night. My brother doesn't treat me as a sister, my best friend hates me, my mother wants to kill me.

_What a life?_


	9. The Disaster Day

_**Chapter 9 – The Disaster Day**_

School the next day was awful. It was like the first day of school all over again. But this time, instead of staring at me in awe when I walk down the hallways, everyone stared at me in disappointment, as though I have committed a crime. I guess the news had spread.

I was friendless so I needed to endure this loneliness, _alone_. Fiona, Penny, Priscilla and Sandra refuse to talk to me. I tried everything! I even wrote notes. But, they just tore it up and throw it away like its nothing. It took all my willpower to keep myself from crying out loud on the spot.

I walk to my locker, ignoring my snickering schoolmates behind my back. I search through my locker for my math textbook and finally, I found it.

"Hi, Nadine!" Janice shouts in an overly-cheerful voice and standsbeside my locker.

I slam the locker shut in her face so loudly that everyone stopped for a second before continuing with their business as usual. "What do you want?" I ask, irritated.

"No, I just wanted to confirm some things with you," she says smugly and dig into her tote bag and takes out her iPhone. She presses a few buttons and shoves the phone in front of my eyes. "That's you, right?"

On the display, there is a picture of Stefan kissing… me. That's how Fiona found out! Gosh. Janice is evil. Frustrated, I push past her and mumble, "It's your turn to watch your back now," in her ear. I'm not as stupid as I was on the first day.

I shove past anyone who is blocking my way and get to class. Just as I reach the door, I see _him_. My brother. He was sitting at his usual seat, flipping through the textbook. For a moment I thought of sitting beside him. But then the reality of it all came crashing down on me. My brother hates me. Then he slowly looks up and smiles. Relieved, I smile back. I was caught by surprise when Janice brushes me aside and hops onto his lap and started making out with him.

My world turns upside down. He wasn't smiling at me after all. I was simply just an invisible wall in between him and Janice. My hands shook as I took in the scene. My knees gave way and I would have fallen if someone hadn't grabbed my arms just in time to steady me.

Stefan guided me to my seat and carefully placed me in. "What happened to you? You look so pale!" He looked worried.

I waved his concern away and look to the front, where the teacher had started writing down formulas. 10 cruel formulas later, Stefan lean towards my table and whispered, "Are you free later today?" I hesitate but nod. He turns back to the front and feeling satisfied, he grin.

After the horrible school day ends, Stefan took my hand. His touch left me as breathless as ever. He leads me out to the school entrance and gives me a quick kiss. I couldn't help it but I felt seriously disappointed when he pulled away.

"I'll pick you up later at 3, okay?" He tosses his awesome red hair back. I almost melted… if I hadn't heard what he said.

"What are you talking about?" I give him a confused look.

He sighs and plays with my hair, averting my eyes. "I'm taking you out on a date," he winks and turned away, leaving me as confused as I was before.

*

"Mom, what's a _date_?" I ask mom from the backseat of her car, unable to take the confusion any longer.

"It's a type of fruit," she carelessly says. She continues staring straight ahead as she made a turn.

I shake my head. "There's another meaning, isn't there?"

She glances at me for a second. "You mean the day of the month?"

I slap a hand at my forehead and shake my head again. "There's another one, mom!"

She chuckles softly to herself. "Why? Did a guy ask you that?"

I nodded as she made another turn. "Who is this young man brave enough to date you?" She flashes a smile through the rear-view mirror. Finally, she explains, "A date is like a social appointment with the opposite sex."

"Oh," I nod in understanding, finally getting it.

"Who is the guy?"

"Stefan Hamilton. A boy from school."

"Where is he taking you to?"

"I don't know."

She abruptly breaks, sending my bag flying to the front seat. "What do you mean, _you don't know_?" She eyes me suspiciously before continuing the journey.

I shrug. "Well, he didn't tell me."

"Oh," she slows down. We're reaching home soon. "So, how's he like?"

I groan. Why is she pelting me with questions like this? It makes me feel like a criminal being interrogated by an officer. She cuts the engine. I race up to my room and lock the door. I need privacy.

_Now, what am I going to wear?_

*

Stefan Hamilton looks up at Nadine's room. He could see the girl rushing around the room looking for her bag, her shoes, her lip gloss. It was fun watching Nadine. She's always so uptight and never letting her feelings show. It's amazing how she can survive bottling up her feelings like that.

Finally, Nadine emerges from the front door, wearing a white studded neckline shirt-dress. She looks beautiful. Even in casual clothing. Stefan can't stop staring at her. He looks down at his plain shirt and jeans, hoping Nadine won't mind. Apparently, _she doesn't _because she smiles warmly at him and held his hand.

Stefan can't believe his luck as he pulls her onto his bike. "I hope you don't mind the bike. It's old but it works!"

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and asks, "Where are we going?"

Stefan starts paddling his bike. Nadine lay on his back, feeling his warmth. "It's a surprise," he chokes out. Stefan thought, _how can I be this evil to agree to_ her_ stupid plan?_

_It's wrong. Wrong. Wrong! I can't do this to Nadine. I've fallen in love with her! Oh, no._

*

Stefan led me into a forest. I took in the fresh, healthy air and sat on a big rock. "So, what are we doing here?"

Stefan close his eyes, takes in a deep breath and calmly say, "I'm sorry, Nadine." And then everything went pitch black.


	10. Desperate Janice

_**Chapter 10 – Desperate Janice**_

_Why do I always faint? Jeez._

I sighed and struggled to my feet. I was in the forest. And Stefan was nowhere in sight. But there standing right in front of me was Janice with her posse, which includes my former friends.

"What do you want from me?" I eyed them suspiciously.

Janice spoke up, taking a step towards me. "Everything."

"You already took everything from me. What else do you want?"

Janice smirked and her posse laughed. I rolled my eyes even though I could feel my cheeks burning. "Well, actually, there's something else I discovered that I want," she hesitated for effect. I held my breath. "You're like some type of superhero, right?"

My breath caught in my throat. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what exactly I'm talking about, Nadine," she chuckled. "Or should I say the Goddess of the Moon, Artemis."

_Oh, shit, crap, damn! How did she know?_

I played it cool and kept my expression unreadable. "You don't know what you're saying. You don't have proof."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, sweetie. Technology is advanced here. And I know more than you give me credit for." She dug into her pink tote bag that I have come to loathe and took out her shiny, pink iPhone. She stuffed it into my hand and played the video. _It can't be! No one saw it, right? Right? "_Well, before you go on and be a slut and started making out with Stefan the other day," Fiona fidgeted beside Janice, "I recorded this video of you kicking some old hag's butt using some type of powers or something. So, I went to search the Net. Remember technology, dear Artemis?" She snatched her phone and kept it back into the bag. She continued, "Well, with this kind of evidence, you'll be screwed. You'll get back to your Mount Olympus crap or whatever and won't step foot here ever again, right? But, in this video, I can't recognize you because it's blurred, so I need you to do what you did the other day again now." She widened her already huge eyes at me, testing me to answer.

To hell if she thought I would answer. I stepped on her feet with my heels and tried my hardest to escape. Unfortunately, one of her dedicated follower yanked my mane of long hair back and threw me to the ground. Gosh, she's strong. I cursed under my breath and stood up again to face her.

"Oh, no, Artemis. You can't run away. Really. It will be a waste of energy." Janice calmly walked towards me. She said, "Oh, and if you haven't noticed, Apollo is right on that tree, exhausted of struggling," she pointed at the biggest tree I have ever seen, with Apollo on one of the highest branch, sleeping. "He's almost dead, you know. If you don't hurry, he'll really die."

"How did he get up there?"

"A ladder and some help from my friends!" She smiled. "But, that's not important right now. You have to save him. I'll record a video of you doing that." She got ready her iPhone to capture the moment.

"Um… Okay." I searched around. "Where's the ladder?" I innocently asked.

She rolled her eyes. "It's not there, stupid." She tapped her long fingernails on the back of her phone and suggested, "You should think of something better than that to save your brother."

"Oh, gosh! He's not my brother!"

"I won't believe anything else."

I gulped. I had to come up with something. And quick! I can't call Nature for help. If I do, it would be caught on camera and I would be branded a freak. If I don't, Apollo would be stuck there forever. I had to help him. He looked so pale. Who knows how long he has been staying there for? I can't mind-call for him to wake up. He's already collapsed. It won't work anyway. Even if it did, he would fall. And his fall needed cushioning. All this must be done without the presence of the stupid phone. Unless…

I closed my eyes and imagined the phone was in my hand. A strange tingling feeling erupted and the phone appeared on my hand. I threw it onto the forest ground and stomp on it, causing its destruction. I can almost hear it wail. Or maybe was it Janice's cry? "You witch! My father paid millions on that limited edition phone!"

"Don't blame me. It's the ultimate evil accessory. It has done me enough harm already." Checking to make sure no one was recording this; I used all my effort and put my mind into hitting each of them out of the way and out of the area. I created and invisible force field to prevent anyone from coming into the forest. They disappeared from view.

"Nature, hear my call!" I spread my arms over my head. Nature responded by sending a bone-chilling wind my way. I take comfort in that and smiled. "Please, put poor Apollo down. Cushion his landing like how you usually do for me. Please." Nature seemed to oblige as the wind left me suddenly to surround Apollo. His hair whipped into his face and he floated down onto some leaves laid down for him. Wind surrounded me once more and whipped my hair into a messy tangle. "Thank you, Nature." It circled around me twice and left.

I shook Apollo's shoulders. "Apollo!" Gosh, he looked pale. He was freezing and his lips had lost its color. "Come on! Wake up!" He shivered and then, opened his eyes. "Are you okay?"

He sat up and rubbed his temples. "Obviously I'm not!"

"Good. Let's get out of here!" I grabbed his arm and ran. Not long, he caught up and matched my speed. I reduced the force field to let us escape and Janice and her friends stopped us from going any further.

"You wouldn't think we would let you guys go that easily, right?" Janice-the-bitch sighed.

"Just let it go, Janice."

"NO!" She boomed, causing the birds overhead to fly away faster.

Jeez. She asked for it. I closed my eyes again for concentration and urged Apollo to join. Together, we managed to turn invisible and escape the forest, unscratched.


	11. Homecoming Preparations

_**Chapter 11 – Homecoming Preparations**_

Chris, my current best buddy, called out, "Felix, wait up!" He was brushing past the after-school crowd in the hallway.

"What?" I turned back to face him.

He panted for awhile and asked, "You coming for Homecoming next Saturday?"

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "What's homecoming?"

We walked together down the hallway towards the exit. "You know the all-important dance. My girl, Crystal, was practically begging me to get a tux."

"A dance?"

"Yea, a dance," he shrugged. "It's a big deal here at Red Bridge High. Everyone is to go. Teachers would go to, but they're basically ignored." He shrugged again. "Crystal wants to win the Homecoming Queen title, but of course, Janice would snatch it."

Her name sent bubbles of anger in my head. She's definitely a bitch. Why did I even agree to hook up with her? "Well, are you getting that tux?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. It's like his favorite hobby these days. "Are you?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on! Haven't you looked in the mirror? You'll win the Homecoming King for sure!" He was agitated, for some reason. He brushed his white-blonde hair back. "But, you need a date, though. Who're you taking?"

Imitating Chris, I shrugged.

"You should take that Nadine girl. She's pretty, and you looked good together!" He nudged me playfully.

"Ugh. No. Jeez. How many times should I tell you that Nadine and I, there's nothing between us?" I rolled my eyes at him as I opened the door out into the walkway just outside the school.

_A dance, huh? Should I go?_

*

"Nadine!" Sandra waved her hands over her head to get my attention. Then she motioned for me to sit on a bench with her.

"Hey." I gave a little wave and slumped down on the bench. Beside her, Fiona was munching on some chips. Beside Fiona, Priscilla was reading a novel, as usual. This time, it's _Romeo and Juliet_. Penny was painting her toenails black this time. And Sandra was staring at me, with her slightly-creepy red eyes.

"Okay, Nadine. We want to say sorry for what we have done. It's really immature of us and we would like you to forgive us." As she was talking, Priscilla had put down her book and Penny has recapped her nail-polish but Fiona seemed to have a faraway expression on her face and was staring at the bag of chips in her hand.

They (except Fiona) stared at me with those expectant eyes that reminded me of the first time they talked to me. Then I realized they wanted me to say something. So, I said, "Promise me you won't tell." Although I didn't say what, their expressions said they understood what I meant.

"We promise." Priscilla, the quiet-one, spoke up this time. She had tears in her eyes. That was when I knew, I just knew, that they were sincere.

Holding back my own tears, I calmly said, "I believe you." Then I was pulled into a tight group hug, me being in the middle. When we're done with the reunion, Fiona had her arms folded with an indifferent expression. She wasn't in the group hug and didn't even say anything either. She got up and left, running after Janice and Bonnie, who were at their lockers, touching up on their make-up.

"What's with her?" Penny commented, uncapping her black nail-polish to start on her left toes.

"Don't know. They're probably going homecoming-dress-shopping later." Priscilla thought out loud and continued reading her book.

I thought nothing of it and asked the group, "What's homecoming?"

Sandra explained every single detail of the dance and I nodded each time in understanding. "So, are you guys going?" I asked them.

"Well, we don't have dates. No boyfriends." Sandra giggled but I could see disappointment in her eyes.

I thought about it for a while. "Oh, come on! You guys are all beautiful. I'm sure all the guys in this school are dying to be your dates but are too scared of rejection, because of your beauty." I could have sworn I saw Sandra blush a little as I said it. "You guys should grab this chance and ask a guy to the dance!" They all gasped when I spoke the last sentence. "What? Is there something wrong?"

"Girls don't ask guys out. It's like social suicide!" Priscilla whispered, as though what she said should have been left unsaid.

I shook my head. I corrected, "_Timid_ girls don't ask guys out. But brave girls can!" I stood up and gestured the whole hallway. "Look around you! Just take a pick!" I grinned, encouraging them to cheer up and start asking guys out.

But I was disappointed when none of them stood up with me but continued to pout. Penny challenged, "If you're so brave, you do it."

"Oh, yes, I will. And in return, each of you will get your dates. Deal?" They were reluctant, but nodded.

I turned away from them and walked through the hallways to find my date. The guys were all staring at me in awe as I passed by them and smiled. But, I couldn't stop thinking of Stefan. His red eyes… Those beautiful red eyes…

Snap out of it!

I shook my head as I passed by a cute soccer guy with awesome brown hair. He flashed me a super-cute grin. I couldn't help but get hypnotized by his deep blue eyes. I walked towards him. I cleared my throat and looked him in the eye, even if it's that blinding. "Um, hi, I'm Nadine."

He ran his fingers through his wet after-shower-after-soccer hair and chuckled. "I know. Everyone knows that." He cleared his throat too. "I'm Nate."

Okay, this is harder than I thought. I took a deep breath and finally asked, "Would you be my date for homecoming?" Then I realized Nate said the same thing at the same time too. I couldn't help but giggle. Then, I said, "Sure." And he said the same thing, too. That made the both of us chuckle like mad people. I gave him my phone number (I have a cell phone now!!) so that he could call me when he wants to pick me up.

I wiped the tear of hysteria and smiled thankfully at him and walked back to my friends. "See? It wasn't so hard."

"Gosh. Did you see the rest of the other guys faces when Nadine picked Nate? They were disappointed as hell!" Sandra pointed out.

I rolled my eyes and faced them. They looked up at me and awaited their next orders. "Now, swallow your pride for a sec and find your perfect date!" I grinned. Luckily, now they stood up and went around the school to choose their dates. It's lucky the students haven't gone home yet. They're still lingering by their lockers and such.

I couldn't wait for homecoming! I wonder how mortals celebrate the end of the school year.

*

**{A/N: This chapter is boring. The next might be better! :D}**


	12. Homecoming!

_**Chapter 12: Homecoming!**_

"Are you sure that would work?" I pointed disgustedly at the make-up box that Sandra's holding out.

"Duh! Haven't you ever heard of it?" She rolled her eyes and started taking out a long stick thing. She uncapped it and there's some type of black ink it. Sandra moved towards me and tipped my head higher. "Open your eyes wider. Mascara would totally bring those black-silver eyes out even more!"

She started placing the brush onto my eyelashes. I pushed her away. "Stop! What are you doing to my eyes?" I clasped my hand over my eyes and wailed dramatically.

"Shut up, and get your hands away from your eyes!" She commanded and successfully pried my hand away from my face. "Guys," she glanced at Priscilla and Penny, "help me with this stubborn idiot."

They gave me an apologetic look but followed Sandra's orders. Penny took hold of my hands and clutched it tightly. Gosh, she's strong. Priscilla pulled back my fringe and fixed her hand there. "Sorry, Nadine, but this is for your own good. Promise! You'll thank me later." Sandra continued brushing my eyelashes with that ink. Oh, gosh. What is she doing?!

What if that _thing_ causes me to be blind forever? OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! I'M FREAKING OUT!

Sandra started rummaging into the box-of-evil and took out a thick brush thing. She dipped it into something powdery and brushed it onto my cheeks. It was ticklish, I almost laughed aloud. Then she stuffed those two things back into the box. She emerged with a something-that-looks-like-a-pencil thing. She started drawing something around my eyes. "WAIT! What is that thing?"

She frowned. "Eyeliner." She shook her head and muttered, "She sure hasn't put on make-up before."

After dabbing something called lip gloss onto my lips, she turned my chair around for me to look into the mirror. The person staring back at me wasn't… me. She looked different, more beautiful. She was nothing I've ever seen before. She was perfect! But, there's something missing…

"Smile!" They all urged.

I immediately broke into a huge grin. The girl in the mirror had deep dimples and her cheeks were pink! And, now she looked complete.

"So, what do you think of my awesome skills?" Sandra asked smugly, twirling the lip gloss container around her finger.

I immediately said what was in my mind, "You're amazing, seriously." Then I hugged her. "Thank you."

She smiled happily, and pointed to Penny. "It's your turn." I could have sworn I saw Penny shudder a little as she took her seat in front of Sandra. Sandra started doing her magic on Penny.

Priscilla tugged on my arm. "I'll do your hair."

I gave in to her and felt the tug of the hairbrush. Finally, she was done. She had made my hair up into a messy but nice bun. She also placed a glittering, silver hair band at the top of my head. "Cute! Thanks, Pris!"

She smiled her usual shy-smile and sauntered over to Sandra as it was her turn to get her make-up done.

Penny looked fabulous, and she offered to do my nails. She colored my nails sparkly silver as my dress was a short, silver strapless and did hers the usual black. My job was accessories because I had dozens of free accessories from the shop called _Diva_ as I was a member there. I distributed accessories to them and finally, we were ready.

Our dates were waiting at the living room at my house. They all looked handsome in tux. Penny's date, Luke was dark-haired and had a really long fringe that covered his eyes. Priscilla's date, Ruth, a red-haired cutie had a big smile on his face. Sandra's date, Will, was a blonde and he looked awestruck by Sandra's beauty. My date… wait. Where is he?

I looked around the house. I searched the kitchen, the bathroom, the study. Even under the sofa, but he wasn't there. "Where's Nate?" I asked the group.

"You looking for me?" Nate was looking _HAWT_ in that white tux. He was standing in the doorway, looking at me up and down. I giggled-grinned at him and he smiled that cute crooked smile of his. We all headed out to the school by foot. It was quite late due to us girls getting ready really slowly.

Our group secured a table near the back of the hall and sat. The rest went to dance while Nate and I just sat there, in friendly silence. Lady Gaga's Just Dance was blasting pretty loudly at the speakers, so what Nate said made me ask him repeat again.

"I said do you want something to drink?" He shouted extra loudly.

"Sure. Fruit punch would be nice." I shouted extra loudly back.

He nodded and went towards the Refreshments Table. I was just thinking of how hot he still looked in that awesome white tux when someone said, "Who's the next victim?" Janice stood there, looking quite pretty today. She was wearing a white long gown and her hair was hanging in loose curls framing her face.

"Janice. It's sickening enough to be breathing the same air as you, but please, don't let me smell you." I waved my hand in front of nose to shoo away the smell of her overly used perfumes.

Janice turned red and rolled her eyes, but I can see what I said bothered her. "Well, I was just asking you, before you rudely interrupted, who your next victim is?"

"What are you saying?" I crossed my arms.

"I meant Nate, dumbass. First, Felix. Then, Stefan. Now, Nate? Why are you taking all the cute guys in the school? And what do they see in you, anyway?"

"Shut up, Janice. You're just jealous. And anyway, Felix and I, there's nothing going on between us! Gosh, you people are just so annoying with that statement!" I literally screamed in her face.

"Jeez. Bad breath much," Janice fanned her nose, like what I did. I rolled my eyes. She turned back, as if someone had called her and then turned back to me. "The next time you see me, I'll be on stage with the Homecoming Crown on my head. Have fun with the loser crown." Then, she cleared her throat and spoke loudly, "Tata, Loser Queen. Stefan is waiting for a dance with me." And with that, she tossed her hair, rolled her eyes, _as usual_, and sashayed over to where Stefan was sitting and took his hand.

_Oh, gosh. She gets so totally annoying sometimes. She thinks I want that stupid crown? Oh, please! Like who would ever want to wear a plastic thing on her head? Unless it's real, I accept that. But, this_, I looked at the two silver-painted plastic crown nestled on a comfy-looking red pillow in the middle of the stage, _is just a fake!_ I kept thinking that as Nate finally arrived with the fruit punch, put them down and stood in front of me and bowed a little. He grinned at me and held out his hand formally, and asked, "May I take this dance, Nadine?"

I wanted to giggle, but I stopped myself. Instead, I smiled genuinely, nodded and took his hand. He helped me up and we moved to the dance floor. Without realizing, the song that was playing was a slow song. It was something by the band _Boys like Girls_, but I forgot the title.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and he supported my waist. We swayed with the beat of the music. I could feel the intensity of his gaze on mine and the heat of his breath. Right then, I didn't see anybody else. Yes, it's cheesy, I know. But that's what it felt like. We stared at each other in silence because it doesn't need words for what we were both feeling.

I didn't know him well enough, but I know that he's a good guy. He treats me right and not like Stefan, he doesn't take advantage of me to get another girl. What Stefan did was just an act. He wanted to get Janice to notice him and used me for that bitch. But, right now, I didn't have the time to think of what a jerk Stefan was, or even how bitchy Janice was being, because I was too preoccupied with staring into Nate's eyes.

For Nate, I could put everything aside; put everything at the back of my mind. I don't even remember who I was anymore. I only know Nate was in front of me, still holding my gaze, unblinking.

Then the piercing sound of the mike made us both jump. The music was minimized and the piercing sound got louder. And then instantly, it faded. The principal called the students to calm down and to pay attention to the stage. "So, you students have voted for your Homecoming King and Queen. And with more than a hundred votes, the Homecoming King is…" There was some drum roll as the principal read out the name on a piece of paper in his hand. I squeezed Nate's hand. I had voted for him and I was hoping he would win. "Felix Quinn!"

I was happy for my brother, so I clapped along with the rest. But when Felix didn't show up on stage, the principal called for him again. But this time, he was met by whispers of the other students. "Where could he be?" I asked Nate, who was standing next to me.

"Maybe he chose not to go?" he responded.

The principal read the note again and concluded, "Since Quinn is not here to receive the award it will be given to the runner-up. Stefan Luck, please step to the stage." Everyone, excluding me, applauded. The principal placed the crown on his head. He gave a heart-melting smile at everyone and sat at the throne at the side of the stage. There was another smaller throne beside him still empty.

"And the Homecoming Queen is…" Another drum roll. Janice was beaming, obviously knowing that she would win. Of course, she's going to win. "Nadine George!" Everyone broke out into fierce clapping and whooping and whistling. I was shocked to my bones. I didn't even remember to close my mouth.

Nate pushed me forward toward the stage. "Go to your throne, your majesty." He dorkily commanded. I stumbled forward and made my way towards the stage to receive the stupid plastic crown. The principal secured it onto my head and I snatched the mike from him.

"I'm sorry, I need to say something." I begged the principal with my eyes and he gave in and let me take center stage. I took off the crown and held it up with one hand while holding the mike with the other. "I don't deserve this crown," I started. Someone way at the back of the hall screamed, "Damn right you don't!" though I know it was someone who hated me very much and wanted this crown more than I do. (E.g. Janice!) I cleared my throat and continued, "This doesn't really matter much to me. Look at the rest of the students who desperately wants this." I gestured at the other girls.

"Everyone should be able to get this stupid crown, even though it's just plastic." I looked down at the plastic and broke it into half, and heard a collective gasp from the audience. And then I broke it into another half for each of it. And another, and another, and another until there were more than enough pieces for every girl in the room. "First, I want to give a piece to Janice," _Yes, to Janice. Even though she treated me like dung, she still have been dreaming to win this crown since way before Homecoming, I heard her talking to Bonnie about it. _I threw it at her and she caught it swiftly and beamed at me. She wasn't so bad when she smiled. "To Fiona, for being a good friend." I threw it at her, who caught it with a confused expression. "To Sandra," I tossed it at the red-head, "To Pris," She shy-grinned at me. "To Penny," She caught it with some difficulty but managed to balance herself. "Thanks for everything." Then I looked around. "To Bonnie, you need to stand up for yourself," I threw a piece at her, too. Then I tossed the rest at random and kept one for myself.

When I was done, the principal said, "Thank you, Ms George, for the speech." Then he addressed the rest and said, "Please continue," and then the music started to play back on. I didn't bother to sit at the damn throne and made my way down the stage and tried my hardest to get to the exit when someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I landed with a thud onto someone's strong chest.

I looked up. "Nate?"

"Where are you going? So you're Cinderella now?"

"Cinderella?" I asked, as clueless as ever.

He chuckled and his chest rumbled. I hadn't noticed I was still lying on his chest. It was so comfortable there. "You were awesome. You're the true Homecoming Queen right here," he tapped the tip of my nose.

I shook my head. "I have to find Felix. I just _know_ something's wrong."

"But, you're going to miss the rest of Homecoming!" He looked disappointed.

"It's okay. You can fill me in later." I winked at him and started to pull away reluctantly.

Now, _where are you, Apollo? _I called with my mind.


	13. The Goodbye

_**Chapter 13 - The Goodbye**_

_The forest,_ I replied my sister. I could sense her running towards the forest by now.

"Now, what were you saying, my dear son?" Zeus asked again.

"I said I want to go home!" I whined, even though I knew I sounded like a little kid.

Zeus touched my shoulder. "I'm sorry, son. You can't."

"Why? We've learnt our lesson."

"You need to pass a test before you step foot on Mount Olympus again. If you fail, you will remain mortals – without powers – forever," Zeus sympathetically stared at me.

"What test?" I almost shouted but kept my voice steady.

Zeus hesitated but shook his head. "I cannot tell you." And with that, he was gone with a strike of lightning. I suck in a deep breath and knelt to the ground, sobbing softly. I didn't even have the chance to say _I missed him_. Really, I do.

Then, I heard some rustling from behind me. I didn't even need to look to know who it was. "What're you doing?" Artemis approached me and stumbled to a crouching position beside me. "Are you okay?"

I didn't know how much I missed the lush skies in Mount Olympus until now. It was always perfect there. I shook my head. She handed me a tissue and I wiped the stupid tears away. "Father visited me." Artemis gasped, clearly shocked at Zeus's unexpected visit. "Actually, I called him here. I just shouted for him and then bam! He appeared right in front of me in this flash of lightning." She clasped my hand in an attempt to calm me down, but I was already babbling the events of the day. "It was amazing! And then I told him I wanted to come home. Then right after that, you called for me. So, I answered you. He asked me to repeat. And I repeated what I said. The funny thing is he said we can't come home until we pass a test, which he doesn't want to tell me about. And he said if we failed, we'll be mortals forever. Isn't that funny?" I laughed a throaty, humorless sound.

Artemis was silent. She hadn't said a thing since I explained to her. She placed her fingers to her temples, thinking. "I remembered something about a test. Athena lent me a book I was too lazy to read. But it was in the first chapter. I _have_ to remember." She was talking more to herself than to me.

"You really believe this?" I shook my head and got up.

She continued thinking. Then, in a sudden action, she jumped up and spoke in a blur, just like how I did. "I remember now! Athena told me about that test. In the book, it said what we have to do is to overcome something. But, I forgot what! It has something to do with our weakness. Zeus or _Hera_ would provide the test. It's not that hard, if we use our common sense."

"Hera?" I shouted her name with a sneer. "She hates us."

Artemis sighed. "Well, that's the way it is. Do you want to get back home?" I nodded. "Then, live with it."

"So, it could be anything at all? We need to be on guard at all times?"

"Agreed."

*

"Oh, by the way, you're the Homecoming King. Since you didn't come, your throne was taken away from you by Stephen."

Apollo rolled his eyes, without a care in the world. As we trudged out of the forest, we heard a sound of someone screaming. It sounded exactly like Felix's friend, Chris. Immediately, Apollo turned back and ran into the forest again. I tailed behind Apollo and followed him.

"Chris!" Felix screamed for his friend. "Where are you?" He looked around. His eyes darted back and forth. Chris was nowhere to be found.

"Over here, _Apollo_!" Chris was behind him in a heartbeat and Apollo was thrown to the ground with a sickening crack. "I guess you're not as tough as you thought you were, huh?" Chris had his hands on his hips in a triumphant position in front of Apollo.

I hid behind a bush and pelted Chris with stones. The stones hit him in the face, arm and his most sensitive part. He sank to the ground in pain, clutching his crotch. Blood was oozing out of his cheek and his bicep. "Who is that?" Chris screamed in my direction. Luckily, I was well-hidden and he couldn't see me. Chris tried to throw a stone my way, and it hit my hand, making it bleed. I bit my lip from crying out in pain.

Apollo had regained his composure by now and was sitting up. Chris didn't notice as he was trying to find out who injured him. Apollo flicked his wrist and his whole hand erupted into flames. He created a ball of fire and threw it at the top of Chris's head. Chris's blonde hair caught the flames and seconds later, he dropped to the ground, dead.

I ditched my hiding place and joined Apollo, who was trying to heal his broken ankle. Then, there was a blinding flash of light. Zeus appeared, again, and greeted us. "My dear children, you may come home now."

Apollo had a confused look. "You mean the test was to kill a mortal?"

"First of all, Chris is not a mortal. He is your guardian. He helped you and he cannot die." We all turned to look at Chris, who smiled up and waved. "It was all an act. Secondly, you did not pass the test because you killed. You passed the test because you defended each other. Artemis tried to defend Apollo by throwing stones at Chris as he hurt Apollo. And when Chris hurt Artemis, Apollo defended Artemis by 'killing' him."

"That's the test? That's all? We passed by defending each other?" I asked, still confused.

Zeus nodded. "Yes."

"That's so damn boring!" Apollo surprised us all by speaking the 'Mortal Lingo'. We all laughed.

"So, are you ready to go back home?" Zeus asked the both of us. We stared blankly at him.

"Give us an hour. We need to say goodbye to the family and friends that were there for us," I voiced out.

"Alright, be back here in an hour." Zeus sat on a stone and waited patiently.

We went our separate ways. Apollo went to his home to say goodbye to his family, while I went to the school to say goodbye to my friends who were still having homecoming.

As soon as I reached the school, I was pulled into a group hug from everyone, including Bonnie and Janice. After they were done saying their 'Thanks', I found Sandra, Priscilla and Penny huddled in one corner. I said, "Hey, you guys, I have something to say."

They turned and smiled at me. I didn't know how to explain my situation, so I decided to lie. "I'm going away tomorrow."

"But you're coming back, right?" Sandra asked.

I shook my head. "I'm leaving for good." I tried not to show my emotions and kept my face expressionless. My friends stared blankly at me, unable to understand what I'm saying. "I have to go now." I quickly turned and started walking away.

"Wait!" I heard all of them call out in unison. I turned back and they said together, "Don't you leave without a hug!" And then they all rushed towards me and hugged me. Unknowingly, I had already shed some tears and it is magnified when Fiona rushed over to us and joined the hug.

Without saying anything further, I walked away; afraid they would call me back and ask where I'm going away to.

"Hey, Nadine!" I heard Nate and Stefan say at the same time. They both reached me in a second.

"I have to go now. You can ask my friends for the rest of the information. I know it's sudden but I want to say that I had a good time. Thank you, Nate, Stefan. I'll always remember the both of you." I pushed them away with all my strength and ran to the exit before they could say anything else.

Janice was blocking the exit, ruining the moment, as usual, but right now she had a genuine smile plastered to her face. "Going back to your home so soon?" I know she knew everything but I decided to trust her.

"Yes. I'll miss you even though you were such a bitch." I laughed at my use of 'Mortal Language'.

"Hey, good luck, alright? Be happy."

"You too, Janice," I smiled at her. Who knew she could be this nice?

I rushed out of the school in a hurry and ran to the home that had loved and took care of me. "Nadine, what happened to you? How was –" I shut my mum up with a big hug. I did the same for my dad. Without explaining anything else, I ran back to the forest.

With a burst of light, a beautiful doe ran beside me through the forest and gave me a sense of my real home. With a shock, I realized that this is not where I truly belong. I belong in Mount Olympus, no matter what.

Apollo joined me carrying his lyre that had magically been returned to him as he ran. And with a last glance at the Mortal World, we were lifted up into the sky and out of the place that I used to think was awful. No, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Maybe I could visit sometime?

_Sometime…_

_*THE END~*_

_**{A/N: The ending wasn't as nice as I thought it would be. But, I hope you have enjoyed this story. Thanks for reading.}**_


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